Archive for the 'Novak Djokovic' Category

TENNIS

NovakDjokovic defeated Roger Federer in an epic finals at Wimbledon. After four hours and 57 minutes, the match was the longest final in Wimbledon history and could have potentially gone on even longer, but it was the first time the championship was decided by the tournament’s new fifth-set rule, which institutes a tie-breaker in the fifth set if the score reaches 12-12. With his 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3), Djokovic won his fifth Wimbledon championship and his 16th major.

In the women’s final, Serena Williams lost to Simona Halep. Williams was attempting to win her 24th Grand Slam title.

FOOTBALL

Ryan Leaf is back. Leaf was a football phenom when he was the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL pick for the San Diego Chargers. His life went into a tailspin from drug addiction and prison-time, but he has now been hired by ESPN to work as a college football analyst.

FOOTBALL

The NFL season begins tonight with the Atlanta Falcons taking on former Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’VeonBell still hasn’t signed with the team and hasn’t reported for practice. If Bell doesn’t sign he loses $853,000 per week. If he continues to hold out for up to nine games, Bell (at age 26) will be eligible for free agency next year. According to Bell’s reps, “he wasn’t going to accept another 400 touches on a salary he felt was below his value.” Bell is high on most fantasy football drafts, so there will be many angry fans if he doesn’t sign this season.

TENNIS

In the men’s quarterfinals of the US Open, Novak Djokovic and John Millman had another tough match due to the intense heat. With just two games into the second set, Millman approached the umpire explaining he needed to change his clothes due to excessive sweating. The umpire ruled that the conditions were excessive enough to invoke the “Equipment Out of Adjustment” rule and allowed Millman to leave. Djokovic ultimately won 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and will advance to the semifinals against Kei Nishikori on Friday.

FOOTBALL

A day after signing a record breaking contract, Odell Beckham Jr. spoke to the media and about getting to this point in his career. He wore a Giants polo shirt and said “I’m growing up”. In response to his contract he said, “You kind of dream about this moment all your life. In fact, you’ve dedicated everything, you sacrifice weekends, your parents have sacrificed weekend after weekend traveling, doing this and that just to be able to get to this point, so it is a relief and it’s a wonderful opportunity for myself and my family.”

Running back Le’Veon Bell hasn’t reached a contract agreement with the Pittsburgh Steelers yet and has sat out of training camp and the preseason. When asked if the rumors were true he’d be joining the team on Labor Day, he said “Don’t believe the fake news. I never said anything to no one”.

Comedian KevinHart spoke with JohnnyManziel (on his show “Cold as Balls” where he interviews celebrities while sitting in ice baths) about his disappointing football career going from Heisman Trophy winner to a behavioral liability with the Cleveland Browns. Manziel admitted, “I don’t expect people to look at my story and feel bad for me. A lot of what I did was self-inflicted. I’m at a point now where I can look back, I can reflect and realize that I was one way. That was wrong. What can I do moving forward because I can’t change how I was.”

TENNIS

Speaking of ice baths, playing in extreme heat at the US Open, Novak Djokovic and his opponent Marton Fucsovics, took advantage of the rule allowing for a 10 minute break after the third set and sat naked side by side in ice baths to cool off. Djokovic remarked on the situation and said, “we battled for two-and-a-half hours and then we were naked in the ice bath. It was a magnificent thing.” The heat index was so high on Tuesday five players had to retire before finishing their matches.

FOOTBALL

There has been drama unfolding in the Dallas Cowboys training camp. The shoplifting charge against Lucky Whitehead which caused the Cowboys to to release him, was dropped as it was a case of mistaken identity, but the Cowboys still stand behind their decision to release Whitehead indicating it was in the “best interest of the team.” The controversy surrounding this incident is causing many to question the teams’ decision making.

Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick has landed a job as a summer intern for the Kansas City Chiefs, working with his former Philadelphia Eagles coach, Andy Reid. Vick retired in June and stated he wants to ultimately continue his career as a head coach. “I would love to coach in the National Football League one day. At some point, I’d definitely love to help work with young quarterbacks and develop them and still compete, you know, with the team and with the coaches.”

TENNIS

Novak Djokovic announced he will miss the rest of the season as he’s suffering from an elbow injury. He will be ending his streak of participating in 51 straight Grand Slam tournaments.

TENNIS

The Australian Open is underway and we already have a major upset. The world’s #2 ranked Novak Djokovic lost in the second round to the 117th ranked, Denis Istomin. Djokovic’s loss to the wild card Istomin is even more surprising as Djokovic has won 6 Australian Opens and was looking to make this the 7th (a feat which no one has yet achieved). The 5 set match lasted 4 hours and 48 minutes.

BASKETBALL

Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant left it all on the court against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. With an impressive 40 points, Durant was on a mission. Emotions were running high between the two teams all night, especially after the Warriors’ Zaza Pachulia caused OKC’s Westbrook to fall to the ground and grab his face. Pachulia didn’t seem fazed and just glared at Westbrook. After the game Westbrook commented, “I don’t play that game. I’m going to get his ass back, so whenever that is, I don’t know when it’s going to be, but I don’t play that game.” Warriors 121, Thunder 100.

BASEBALL

Congratulations to the new selections to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Jeff Bagwell, Ivan Rodriguez and Tim Raines. Eligible players need to receive at least 75% of the votes from the Baseball Writers Association or the Veterans Committee.

TENNIS

NovakDjokovic’s opponent retired…again! For the third time in four matches, Djokovic did not play out a full match before his opponent, Tsonga, retired from a knee injury. #1 seed Djokovic has only played 9 total sets in the US Open.

FOOTBALL

It’s reported New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees is really close to a contract extension. 37 year old Brees has one year left on his current contract and, even though he signed a whopping $100 million contract back in 2012, his average of $20 million a year is less than other QB’s of his caliber. The issue for the Saints seems to be Brees’ age and whether they can afford a long term contact on a QB who is almost 40 years old. The deadline for the Team is approaching as their season begins on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.

Troubled former QB Johnny Manziel will not be playing in the NFL this year (or perhaps ever again considering his history on and off the field) so has decided to go back to College. He will be taking online courses at Texas A&M and is hoping to get a degree in recreation, parks and tourism sciences.

BOXING

The most charismatic and greatest boxer of the ages, Muhammad Ali, died over the weekend at the age of 74 due to respiratory issues related to his Parkinson’s disease. Ali was a three-time heavyweight champion but transcended the world of boxing and became known for his anti-war stance and his opinions on the world. One of his assistants captured Ali’s presence in the ring with the now famous saying, Mr. Ali would “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

TENNIS

By winning the French Open, Novak Djokovic accomplished what no male player has in over a decade, won all four Grand Slam titles at once. The last player to accomplish this feat was Rod Laver in 1969.

In the women’s draw, top seeded Serena Williams lost to Garbine Muguruza. The win was Muguruza’s first Grand Slam title.

NBA

The Golden State Warriors certainly made a statement at home in game 2 of the NBA Finals. Their defense simply crushed the Cleveland Cavaliers for a decisive win. On offense, the Warriors’ Draymond Green was the star with 28 points and 5 3-pointers. The Warriors are up 2-0 in the best of seven series. Game 3 is Wednesday in Cleveland 9:00 pm EST ABC. Warriors 110, Cavaliers 77.